1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a top opening tissue dispenser of a reusable and semipermanent nature for serially dispensing interfolded and interleaved tissue sheets, one tissue at a time, and a method of producing compressed packets of tissues and a bulk pack for these packets which can also contain the dispenser.
2. Cross Reference to Related Applications
The enclosed invention relates to the inventor's previously applied for U.S. patent application No. 08/237,863--filing date May 4, 1994--and titled "DISPENSER FOR FOLDED SHEETS AND BULK PACKETS". The inventor describes and claims a folded sheet dispenser in five embodiments where folded sheets are dispensed "one at a time" from an end opening in the container, in a horizontal direction, which are controlled by an internal control plate. This controls the progressive removal of the sheets. This invention also teaches a method of producing compressed sheet packets of a set count and restrained by a wrapper. The packets are then combined in multiples of packets and poly wrapped or placed in a poly bag to form a Bulk Pack of packets with a carrying handle.
This invention also relates to the inventors previously applied for Canadian Patent application, Ser. No: 2097527, dated Jun. 02, 1993 and entitled "TISSUE BOX FOR BULK TISSUE PACKETS". The inventor makes claim for a facial tissue container with an end opening for the progressive removal of facial tissues one at a time. This previous invention of an end opening container for bulk tissue packets was for a free standing container.
A second Canadian application, Ser. No: 2,105,245, dated Aug. 31, 1993, entitled "FACIAL TISSUE CONTAINER FOR MOUNTING UNDER A STRUCTURE", includes the same embodiments of the first application except that the container has been inverted and mounted horizontally under a support structure which also uses bulk packets of tissues from a bulk pack.
A third Canadian application, Ser. No. 2,102,163; dated Nov. 1, 1993 and titled "TOP DISPENSING BULK TISSUE CONTAINER" is a dispenser where the claims stated are for a semi-permanent and reusable tissue dispenser where the tissues are removed through the top opening of the container, one tissue at a time. They are controlled by an internal control plate through which the tissues are removed in a vertical direction. This invention also uses compressed tissue packets of a set count from a Bulk Pack of tissue packets which are enclosed in a poly wrapper with a carrying handle. This patent forms the basis for this enclosed United States Patent application.
A fourth Canadian Patent application, Ser. No. 2,117,110; dated Mar. 7th, 1994 and titled "DISPOSABLE TISSUE DISPENSER" teaches a container of disposable cardboard and of the same art as the previous patent applications by myself as the inventor, is similar to Canadian Ser. #2,097,527 application except that the claims are made for a "disposable" cardboard container. The tissues are dispensed through an end opening in a horizontal direction and they are controlled by an internal control plate of heavy cardboard. The dispenser uses interleaved loose packed tissues placed in the dispenser at the manufacturing plant.
3. Discussion of Prior Art
Heretofore, as disclosed in the prior art on sheet dispensing devices when the sheet was removed from a top opening dispenser, these units could be divided into two groups as follows. Those where the tissue is controlled by the top surface of the container and which allows the tissue to be removed and grips the next tissue to prevent it from falling back into the dispenser as taught by K. M. Enloe, dated Feb. 20, 1968, U.S. Pat. No. 3,369,699; which teaches the use of a pair of planar lip like constricting members--to grip the tissues.
Again in the invention by H. N. Nelson, dated Feb. 6th, 1962, U.S. Pat. No. 3,019,944; teaches the use of a narrow slot"--generally key shaped panel disposed in a co-planar portion--" which grips the tissues, as they are removed at the top surface of the container.
Also in the patent by H. Scholz, dated Feb. 20, 1968, U.S. Pat. No. 3,369,698; also teaches an improved arrangement of the tissues themselves and which are removed from a slot or flexible lip material to grip the successive tissues at the top level of the container.
The second group of patents generally teach a method of tissue control where an internal control plate had a slot or opening through the plate to control the tissue. A opening in the top of the container as taught by the invention of D. T. Scott, dated Sep. 21, 1965, U.S. Pat. No. 3,207,360; where the "--receptacle and a light weight, substantially flat discharge control plate--" and which "--moves up and down in the receptacle when the stack of sheets becomes partially depleted,--".
Again in the invention by D. T. Scott, dated Sep. 1966, Canadian Patent 742,552; he teaches the same use of a "--substantially flat discharge control plate--" and "--movable upwardly during withdrawal of the uppermost tissue--".
Also H. M. Nelson, dated Jan. 1968, Canadian Patent 775,998; teaches an internal plate of various shapes and with various shaped openings which is substantially flat and moves upward with the tissues when they are removed and has perforated cut score line in the top cover of the disposable container which determines the shape of the internal control plate.
Again one of the earliest U.S. Patents for a dispensing device was by D. W. Hudson, dated Aug. 1923, U.S. Pat. No. 1,462,180; which teaches a control plate that is curved like a half cylinder and not flat and has a slot to allow the dispensing of a folded napkin and remains substantially motionless and exerts a "--constant downward pressure--upon the stack of interfolded sheets--".
Generally, the tissue dispensing containers are all of a disposable nature with internal floating plates, and have been abandoned for the popular top gripping tissue containers for tissue control. However, these containers have a tendency for the tissues to drop back into the container when they are partially depleted and the top opening does not easily allow the hand or fingers to be placed inside the container to remove the next tissue. These disposable containers, although widely used, have proved to be inconvenient and wasteful when they contain a number of tissues over one hundred and approaching three hundred tissues.
All the previous inventions have taught an internal control plate of light weight and substantially flat which moved vertically within the container for the full height inside the container and moved upward with the tissue as it was withdrawn and then fell back by gravity. This falling back had the tendency to pull the tissue down into the container which proved inconvenient and undesirable and caused their abandonment. Although the large top opening allows the hand or fingers to be thrust inside the container to remove a tissue, this further damages the cardboard control plate. Also the tissues were not visible at all times which caused the user to think the container to be empty and this too led to the abandonment of the invention. All these dispensers were for facial tissues except the invention by Hudson in 1932, which was of a dispenser for a much heavier sheet material such as table napkins and therefore would appear to be of a much heavier material such as wood or metal. The rigid control plate of a heavy weight forced the sheets to remain somewhat compressed and were held down at the extreme edges by the barrel shape of the plate. Hudson could not have used cardboard for his dispenser and it could not have been suitable for facial tissues as they would have torn as they were removed from under the heavy control plate. Hudson teaches a different dispenser from the other facial tissue dispensers of the 1960 period and although it teaches the dispensing of sheet material it would not have worked for facial tissues were the tear strength of the tissues is much less than paper napkins.
4. OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES
Accordingly, several objects and advantages of my invention are a control plate which is substantially different and teaches a new control means over the succeeding plies of tissues to allow them to be removed in a supported vertical direction and the tissue then protrudes through the elongated opening in the top of the permanent container. An elliptical opening is shown in our drawings for convenience. However, the shape of the opening can be of an ellipse as shown, and in the drawing showing alternate shapes, a parallelogram and a rectangular with round ends perform equally as well when the critical length and width dimensions of the opening are engineered to be less than the length and width of the interleaved tissue. The substantial design weight of the control plate is one of the most important factors effecting the removal of the tissue in that the weight of the control plate, as it lays on the top most tissue, assists in holding the tissues vertical. The control plate edges maintain a constant pressure on the tissues which transfers to the friction between the interleaved tissues at a set distance inside the edges. The control plate, has an engineered shape with a crown on the longitudinal centerline, and promotes the tissues to flow from side to side underneath the control plate. The unrestricted space provided by the crowned shape of the plate allows the plate to oscillate, from alternate sides, inside the container as is shown in FIG. (9). As a tissue is withdrawn it lifts the edge of the plate to cause it to oscillate while maintaining a controlled pressure on the top most tissue applied inside at the outer edges of the tissue and the control plate has one of its two edges in contact with the top tissue at any given time. The control plate controls the inter ply friction between the successive layers of the facial tissue. As is shown in FIG. (8) the control plate is in the normal flat position, and the weight of the plate, from tests conducted was found to weigh between 50 and 60 grams (and should be of a ridged material to maintain a smooth surface to prevent the tissues from snagging on the underside or on the edges of the control plate. The weight and shape of the control plate also supports the upward extending tissue in a somewhat vertical position. This action of the plate will allow the tissue, which protrudes through the slot in the control plate, to be held vertically by the weight and sloped space under the plate and the tissue will be supported as it extends up through the top opening of the container or dispenser where it can easily be removed, one tissue at a time. If the tissue drops below the top opening in the container it still can be easily removed through the extra large opening in the top of the tissue container. The opening in the control plate by its width and length gives a roll or hem effect to the extended edges of the tissue as it is being removed. This increases the ridigity of the upward extending flexible tissue when it is pulled up vertically by the preceding tissue which now has been completely removed from the container.
The use of a semipermanent and reusable facial tissue container in my invention, rather than a disposable cardboard tissues container, allows the container to be constructed from a durable and semi-ridgid molded plastic. This results in a stronger and more durable tissue dispenser. The control plate would also be made from this same low cost material which has good design characteristics that would allow it to perform better than a control plate from cardboard. These control plates, as were taught in the before mentioned patents, were of a disposable design and generally constructed of cardboard.
The container or dispenser as envisioned in my invention is of a semipermanent nature and must have a removable bottom to support the packet of facial tissues which are placed inside the container when the bottom is removed. The removable bottom is as shown in FIG. (2, 3 & 7) and may be made of molded plastic and would be fitted with felt pads to prevent damage to furniture surfaces and with Velcro (Velcro Canada Ltd., Quebec, Canada.) pads to allow the dispenser to be held in place on the seat fabric or floor mats of an automotive vehicle.
Because my invention is of a semipermanent facial tissue container the disposable cardboard box of the previously available dispensers of facial tissues is no longer necessary or desirable in that it causes excessive waste at landfill sites. With a semipermanent container, as shown in FIG. (7), the tissue packet is placed within the container and supported in place by the removable bottom. The restraint paper or plastic sleeve on the packet can be removed as the packet is placed in the container. The compressed packet of tissues can be a separate individual package or can be contained within a bulk pack of multiple packets. The bulk pack of compressed tissue packets contained by a recyclable plastic bag or wrapper with a carrying handle would be as shown in FIG. (10) through (13) where a single tissue packet is compressed and restrained and then combined with other similar packets to form a bulk pack of tissue packets.
A bulk pack can be comprised of any set number of packets, of a reasonable weight to be carried, which would result in a lower per tissue cost to the buyer and result in substantially less material to our landfill sites. This will result in savings to the manufacturer of the disposable boxes, shipping cartons, as well as cost savings for shipping and warehousing in that the tissue packets are reduced in volume. My invention, of a reusable and semipermanent molded plastic facial tissue dispenser with the compressed tissue packets in bulk packs will result in reduced costs to the manufacturer and therefore cost savings to the user and home owner.
Where in the disposable cardboard box is discarded to the landfill or paper recycling plant our durable but relatively lightweight plastic container, produced at a reasonable cost, would last for a number years. Numerous tissue packets would be used over the useful life of the dispenser. The savings of the disposable, throw-away, cardboard tissue boxes over the life of the container would be substantial. With the large size boxes, 300 tissue, the weight of cardboard in the ox is 64 grams (2.26 oz) and this weight of cardboard would be saved by 3 or 4 times at any one location in an average household. In 1992 the "--estimated size of the United States market of single two-ply Facial Tissues was 186 Billion individual tissues--" or 320 million large size, 300 tissue, boxes or 49,000 tons of cardboard. This would have destroyed 500,000 trees. The adoption of my proposed invention of a semipermanent facial tissue dispenser and compressed tissue packets would save a major portion of this annual waste in the United States and even a greater volume of waste and loss of tress in North America and the world.
The facial tissue top opening box has been the most popular dispenser for facial tissues in the home and office and also in Hotel/Motel rooms and automobiles and wherever people function. The top opening boxes of a quantity of 150 and 175 tissues have been the most popular size and now the manufacturers, in order to produce a more economical quantity of tissues, have made a box of 300 tissues, using the same top opening "pop-up" box design for the tissues. After the tissues are partially used they tend to fall back into the box and are difficult if not impossible for children and others to remove conveniently and quickly. The cardboard boxes of 300 tissues have double the number of facial tissues as the original 150 tissue boxes with the same "pop-up" design features. This worked well with the original boxes of 150 tissues but has become a source of annoyance and waste when used with the larger 300 tissue boxes. The manufacturer, for a slight increase in the cost for the added cardboard, increased the height of the 150 tissue box to now receive 300 tissues and for a small increase in cost they now offered double the number of tissues. However, the 300 tissue boxes never did perform as well as the 150 tissue boxes in that the tissues fell down into the box. This was a hidden cost for the tissues which were unused but yet discarded. Because the 300 tissue boxes are in use longer they become soiled or crushed and become totally wasted and what was meant to be an economical benefit to the homeowner has become a more costly inconvenience. Again with the automobile use the boxes become dirty, soiled and crushed to a state beyond their practical use and are never where they are required and are never within easy reach of the driver. This has become a cause of irritation and the cause of a possible accident.
An object of this invention is to provide a facial tissue container which will be of a semipermanent and reusable nature and can be washed and made clean by sanitary means. The dispenser is designed to use individually wrapped compressed tissue packets or compressed tissue packets from the economical bulk packs of compressed tissue packets which will then replace the card board disposable boxes and the disposable shipping cartons for these boxes. This will then reduce the volumes of waste to our landfill sites and be environmentally friendly in that the trees and energy to produce these disposable boxes will not be required.
A further object of the invention is to provide a semipermanent container which will give the convenience of a dispenser where the tissues can be removed one tissue at a time to the very last tissue in the dispenser. The dispenser will use loose tissues removed from a conventional disposable cardboard box or from the economical compressed packet of tissues from a bulk pack and will give the convenience of the "pop-up" feature when removing a tissue.
A further object of my invention is to provide a semipermanent, top opening, dispenser with an internal control plate which will allow the facial tissue, when removed, to cause the next interleaved facial tissue to be pulled up through the control plate. The tissue then extends up through the top opening of the dispenser where it will be readily visible and be supported by the top opening of the dispenser and can be removed conveniently with one hand, as is shown in FIGS. (2, 8 & 9), where the tissue is shown extending through the top of the dispenser and where it is supported vertically by the shape and weight of the internal control plate.
A further object of my invention is to provide a removable bottom to support a packet or loose pack of facial tissues which can be removed quickly and snapped back in place and shall have predetermined locations for felt or Velcro pads for the convenience of the user.
A further object of my invention is to construct the semipermanent container, control plate and the removable bottom from low cost molded plastic and preferably with thermo setting properties. The material will be semiridgid but flexible, washable, and of pleasing colors which can be further decorated by the purchaser or craft person to their own wishes.
Another object of my invention is to create a process by which the facial tissue packets are created from the existing manufacturers production line. The interleaved and inter layered tissues in a "C-Folded" or similar industry standard system are known as a "rope" of tissues and are carried on a feeder belt to a rotary cutter or by some other industry means where the rope of facial tissues is cut to a length in an automatic process, and placed in disposable card board boxes and sealed. They then are placed in card board shipping boxes and made ready for shipping. Where the object of my invention is to interrupt this production process and relocate the cutter station and add a conveyor belt compression station, or some other means, to compress the rope of tissues vertically. A feeder line is added for the restraint plastic strip or recyclable paper strip to enclose the rope of tissues and can be heat sealed or glued to restrain the tissues in a compressed state where the volume would be reduced in the order of 20 to 40%. The rope of tissues would be cut to the desired length by a cutter means and the compressed packets are then accumulated by known automatic means in lots of more than one to form pre-determined bundles of a desired number. They are then placed in or wrapped with a plastic poly wrapper to completely enclose the bulk pack of tissue packets and are then ready for warehouse storage or direct shipment.
Still a further object of my invention is to enclose the top opening dispenser inside the poly Bulk Pack and to have one or more of the tissue packets placed in the dispenser with the control plate and then to place the bottom plate elsewhere in the bulk pack. All as shown and detailed in the enclosed FIG. (14). The compressed packets and the dispenser would then be enclosed in and wrapped with poly plastic for shipping or warehousing. Shipping and packaging would be saved by enclosing the dispenser inside the bulk pack with the compressed tissue packets.